Do you know the feeling, when a bit of one's past comes back at a completely unexpected moment, ruining anotherwise lovely day? Quite frustrating.

In related news, how would you suggest going about telling a child that under no circumstances will you fullfill their dream of being turned into a giant world-ending comet?

Children these days. You'd think death-eyes would be enough, but no, they always want more.

Well, now that the sickening obsession with romance is done with for the year, its about time for a real holiday, correct?

Of course, you are all welcome to my yearly Mardi Gras celebration. But, dear community, you must help me decide which world to host it on.

So. Endless festivities? Stunning fireworks? Vivid gardens? Canals and gondolas? Or would you prefer mere free drink and food?

As always, you answers are most fascinating.
- Karakael

What is "wifi" and why do all my children want it for this "chis-mas" holiday?

CHRISTMAS LIST

I know you're just gonna say "Only Santa-san brings presents, and you're not a kid, so you don't get anything!" But I don't care! I bet some of you guys get presents from everyone. I want presents from everyone, too. So here's my awesome Christmas list! You guys can post yours too or something.

★Food
★Manga with cute love stories and awesome things
★More sunglasses for my hero costume. I lost the other ones. I couldn't find them after I threw them off dramatically like everyone else does.
★K'nex to build more stuff
★More blankets because it's cold
★Cool things to look at
★Everything to be the same way and safe and fun forever.
★Something that makes noise
★500 yen so I can go to the print club machine and take a bunch of pictures because that's what all the cool people do
★Uh...

I can't think of anything else. What else should I ask for?

( An interview with an Artist )
"Bloody Hell. You try to be kind, to atone for all past wrongs...and what do you get for it? A day of yelling at a damn floating brain and a bloody headache."

"You know humanity, community. Do you believe that we would stay our hand just to save perfect beauty? Or would we once again blind ourselves in our greed?"

Elloran, love, be a dear and lend me the use of thirty or so of your planets. I'd rather not have them destroyed - ah, you still use the term fall beyond, do you not? - in your time rather than mine, but there's no way of knowing how our time compares to that of the main community. Lets see...Zeta Phi S340, Tau Lamda D32, Darion 5...[He proceeds to list of the coordinates of another thirty planets, with the apparent assumption that Elloran will know what he's refrencing.]

And to cut short that tedious business of whether or not you will help me...

History there is, and No History. Sh'zali Knot. First move: Destroyer to Level 4. Second move, Pawn sacrifice. Third, exchange of Sens on Fifth Level. Fourth: Destroyer Check, Sacrifice, and Inquestor Mate in Five Moves. Don't say you wouldn't lose, you know you avoid sacrifices at every opportunity. But I won't tell my younger self your weakness if you send me the tokens promptly. Consider it my insurance.

And with that settled, the real game can start. It has been so long since I've had a worthy opponent...I should thank you all for offering me a challenge that I could never take in my own damaged universe.

[[ooc: Karakael has put up one of the more basic locks against Mir. She'll easily be able to break it if she puts her mind to it...which is half the point, as the text gives the locations of 30 minor worlds in the Inquest universe, all of them common sacrificial worlds.]

Well, call me impressed, community. According to my calculations worlds connecting here use child-soldiers at a rate of 4:1.

That's four worlds that have child-soldiers as their heroes to one against.

The next time anyone accuses me of being a monster, I'll take that into consideration.

- Karakael

Dear Community,

I have a...friend who has recently fallen under the influence of someone unsuitable. Ever since they met and became close he's...changed. Become darker, somehow.

Once he was my mentor but now...I fear for him, and I fear that darkness and hedonism will take over his heart.

I know it is his choice who he loves and who he allies himself with, but...is it not my duty as a friend and a protegee to urge him against such a dangerous course of action?

I fear for what might happen if that...creature gets a hold of him. The whole Inquest might quake with what they could do together...

What should I do? Should I let him go, or urge him to reconsider?

[Is Elloran talking about Kefka? Actually no. But there's no way for the community to know that, is there?]

[Karakael is curled up at a window-seat, back against the wall and looking out at his desert home. He wears an outfit from the Inquest he abandoned long ago - a dark pink cloak molding with the flesh of his bare chest that pools at his waist and joins the black leggings and kilt. He wears a silver mask with vivid blue tears dripping from the eyes.]

Strange to think how much can change in a mere Earth year. Strange too how much one can gain and lose in that same amount of time.

Kefka is gone, likely for good. I wonder which is worse, knowing that he still lives but with no memory of this place...or realizing that his memory might fade from my mind as well, erasing the time we spent together.

In my world being ripped apart by time and fate is not unusual. Often lovers would watch as their loved ones were frozen in time, knowing that what once was passion would fade into history in a hundred years time. Death for one, forgetting for the other...

This is the first time I've been on the side of the forgotten rather than the forgetter. Strange, how it stings, making one wonder what the point of love is at all, if it is nothing but fleeting.

Really, is it worth it?

A friend asked this not long ago (only a decade or so ago, my time) but for...reasons it has come to mind again.

If you could delete any problem you had, even erase it completely from your memory or make it as if it never existed, would you?

And if so, what kind of problems do you face that you would make you consider the question?

[The video opens on Karakael halfway through what appears to be a workout. He's twirling a large black flag, flicking the cloth and doing twirls with a flexibility that belies his frame. He fumbles several times as the video watches, but protrudes such an air of confidence in his work that it is sometimes difficult to guess whether a mistake was intentional or simply a demonstration of the difficulty.

Finally, his mask grins gold, he twirls, and sends the black flag vaulting to the ceiling...

where it hangs, ripples of color pulsing through the apparently black fabric. He watches, smirking, as the slow-field catches and freezes the dark-flag's movement.]

Have you ever noticed how malleable time is around this place? A hundred stories repeat over and over, while others skip and start across their timeline as their actors appear and disappear from this place while others linger on, plodding through their world's time with out noticeable upset.

Its amazing, if you think of it. My galaxy skips along at three times the speed of most of the other worlds connecting here, and yet friendships can still be held and companions found.

How about you? Have you checked this community one day, only to find months worth of material when you returned the next? Or the opposite - years passing for you yet the community remaining the same?

You thoughts are, as always, appreciated.

- Karakael

[Kefka isn't nearly as ridiculously dressed as usual today; he's in green, lots of green, green everywhere, from the feathers in his hair and his eye shadow to his jacket and nail polish. His make up is plainer than usual as well, giving his skin a sallow look.]

Does anyone know what kinds of foods Retasu likes? How about favorite color? Is it safe to assume green?

Well well, Carnival is upon us once again. A time for masks and illusion the freedom it brings.

In the midst of all this chaos, it makes one question what humanity would become if our constraints were truly cut away. Would we become monsters or saints, Madmen or Madonnas? My own experience seems to indicate the former, but I would love to hear your arguments for the latter.

-------------

Also, I usually host a small party to commemorate this occasion. But perhaps we should spice it up this year in light of recent events?

I challenge any of you who dare to find my newest monster and I within the Festival of the Masked Future. Transportation will be provided, and if you succeed in recognizing us you may have all of our powers at your disposal for the rest of Carnival.

Though I doubt even the best of you could differentiate between the madness my pet creates and the normal festivities, or between my illusions and the masks others wear, its an interesting challenge, yes?

We still have members from that lovely world with the witches, do we not?

Might I ask a favor? Poor Charlotte has taken ill after playing with the children too long, and I was hoping to get a replacement or a healer, if it wouldn't be too much trouble.

Alternatively, I vaguely remember something about breeding them? Is it necessary to have two witches to make that work?

My children really do adore her, and would be heartbroken to lose their pet. If you can give any assistance, it would be much appreciated.

- Karakael

Suppose...suppose there was someone who was kind on the community, but in the real world was cruel and hurtful. Which version of them would you - should you - trust?

If there is anything more infuriating than being woken up at an ungodly hour of the morning, dropped half-naked on an uncivilized planet and then being expected to play chess against giant singing rocks...I would prefer to avoid it if at all possible. There is such a thing as too much excitement in one day.

That being said, this variant of chess is quickly getting boring for all parties involved, and a bit of variation would be useful.

Do your worlds have any interesting puzzle-games? Chess, cards, tumbledice...surely there are variants in your worlds that do not exist in mine.

Dear community,

As per usual, the virus you provided for last month were fascinating and quite informative. I'd forgotten how long it takes to recover from being dead.

Still, I do wish you'd stop giving me extra mouths to feed. Especially since my children have taken a shine to our newest "pet" and refuse to let me send it home.

So could anyone tell me what this is?



It seems to be content for the moment to remain in its labyrinth and eat my servants, but I'm a bit worried that my universe will warp its nature. Such a benign creature probably won't last long playing with my child-soldiers.

Any suggestions you might have for care and feeding would be much appreciated.

- Karakael

Lord Karakael!
[The boy smiles, pushing a puppet towards the camera.]
What do you think of this one? Is she-
-pretty?
The puppet the child holds, no longer a puppet but rather a young woman with rose colored hair and emerald eyes, twitches and then glances up coyly.
Does she please you, my love?
She's exquisite. Where did you find this one, Ynoldeh?
As if you really wish the answer to that.
A chuckle, and the view mists, replacing the rather stark room with one of dozens of not-puppets lying discarded on every surface. Then the female puppet collapses as if her strings were cut, and the voice now comes from a child thrown against a wall.
What of this one, Kaaree? This is more to your taste, no?
There is a weary sigh. Must you tease me, love?
You are no fun, dearest.

Then the room is gone, and the boy is looking up, confused.
Lord Karakael?
Sorry, Zalo. Yes, she is quite pretty. Hands take the doll and turn it this way and that. You're almost ready to work on real cadavers.